While working with the endowment fund at Spring Arbor University, Steve Reule became interested in financial advising. He began working out of the Edward Jones office in Spring Arbor in 2009. In January 2010, Reule opened his own Edward Jones office in Parma and has seen a real advantage to being located in a small town. Shannon Maynard recently sat down with Reule to discuss the business.

Question: Why did you choose Edward Jones?

S.R.: I felt like it was the best fit for me personally. You get to open an office where you pick rather than going to Detroit or Ann Arbor automatically.

Question: What exactly do you offer?

S.R.: If someone wants to learn about investments or to invest money, either for their kids or their retirement, then they would come to somebody like me. They come to me to get different options. They come to learn about life insurance or annuities. We do anything from CDs, money market, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, life insurance, long-term care, annuities and mortgages.

• Name: Edward Jones• Financial adviser: Steve Reule• Address: 112 W. Main St. in Parma• Website:www.edwardjones.com• Phone: 531-3587• Fun fact: In addition to a degree from Spring Arbor University, Reule holds three licenses to sell stocks, bonds and insurance.• Fast fact: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, financial analysts held about 251,000 jobs in 2008.

Question: What are some of the most common reasons people come to you?

S.R.: They just want different options that they didn’t know were out there. A lot of people don’t realize all the different things we do. A lot of people in this area are stuck in the rut that CDs are the way to retire. There are a lot of options that are just as safe as a CD, but you make more money. … I always tell people that I do free, no-obligation portfolio reviews. So if they want to figure out their budget or what options they have, it doesn’t cost them a thing to talk to me.

Question: What advantages are there to dealing with a professional rather than investing yourself?

S.R.: The options. We take the emotions out of investing. ... It allows them a second opinion. We have the professional advice, not just the professional tools.

Question: At what point in their life should someone begin investing their money?

S.R.: My youngest client is a month old. My oldest client is in their 90s. It’s never too early to think about retirement, especially if you’re younger. Social Security might not be there. Pensions might not be there. I always say it’s never too early. You really should start thinking about it when you get your first job. It’s a lot easier if you have a plan.

Question: What is the best piece of advice you would give someone planning for retirement?

S.R.: The first thing I would have them do is figure out a budget. A lot of people don’t do that. The reason for that is you need to figure out what your living expenses are and that would give you a rough estimate of what you could put away for savings.

Question: Over the past several years, the stock market has been unstable. How do you reassure people who are looking to invest in today’s market?

S.R.: The market is the market for a reason. If it was a guarantee that it would go up every year, everybody would want to do it. Volatility is part of the stock market. There are ups and downs. Make sure you’re in a quality stock or company or mutual fund inside the market. What most people don’t realize is that investing is for the long term.

Question: What is the biggest misconception of the financial planning industry?

S.R.: People think that you have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to start (investing). You can start with $1. It doesn’t matter. People don’t realize it’s not that hard to be a millionaire if you start young enough.

Question: What is your business’ biggest strength?

S.R.: I think it’s just being in the community, actually living where we do business. Being compassionate, friendly and doing what’s right for our clients.

Question: What do you hope your firm will provide its clients?

S.R.: No. 1, the outstanding service that they’ll get. Anytime you call in, if we don’t know the answer, we know somebody that does. Another thing I do that a lot of people don’t, on my business card is my cell phone. I feel that the money they have here is their life savings. They shouldn’t have to call between 9 and 5 to figure out the answers. This is their money. They can call anytime. They don’t have to come to the office. For some of my older clients, I go to them.